Nagsimula na si Francis Villacorta ng kanyang kauna-unahang full-length feature film, ang socio-political drama na pinamagatang Chronicle of Wasted Lives.
Ang pelikula ay pinagbibidahan ng stage and character actor na si Robert Correa bilang si Aurelio Burgos, isang hard-hitting journalist at ama ng isang nawawalang anak na ang hinala'y in-abduct ng military operatives.
Ito rin ang magsisilbing comeback film ng actor na si Migui Moreno na ilang taon ring wala sa movie scene, bagama't paminsan-minsan ay napipili ito para sa ilang TV commercials and print ads.
Gumaganap si Migui bilang si Catalino Gomez, isang singer-poet na nag-i-struggle upang ibunyag ang mga tunay na pangyayari sa lipunan sa pamamagitan ng kanyang musika at poetry.
Lead female star naman si Gina Villa bilang si Arlene Zamora, isang reporter at mapagmahal na ina sa kanyang mga anak. Ang kanyang exposé sa corruption ng town mayor ay lubhang magpapahamak sa kanya.
Kasama rin sa cast sina Emlyn Olfindo Santos bilang si Inez, editor-publisher ng isang diyaryo ng oposisyon na patuloy na nakikipag-kumpitensiya sa iba; Kimberly Diaz as Anita, isang social worker at asawa ni Aurelio na umaasang mahahanap pa rin ang kanilang nawawalang anak.
Pagkatapos niyang lumabas sa critically-acclaimed films tulad ng Serbis at Kinatay, mapapanood rin si Mercedes Cabral sa pelikulang ito bilang Frida, isang college-paper editor turned commercial/ramp model at girlfriend ni Catalino. Tampok rin si Khino Bagatsing bilang Jason, ang idealistic na anak nina Aurelio and Anita.
Ang Chronicle of Wasted Lives ay may matinding suporta mula sa cast ng mga beterano ng teatro tulad nina Ces Aldaba as Nick Jose, Arlene's supportive editor; Bani Baldisseri bilang Roland, ang informer na nagbi-bridge ng exposé ni Anna sa kuwento ni Aurelio.
Nasa cast rin sina Abel Napuran bilang si Rod, ang whistleblower; Eric Beja as Guillermo, photojournalist na nag-e-exploit ng human misery sa pamamagitan ng kanyang mga larawan; Perry Escano as Tony, isang reporter.
Patricia Unas as Anna Policarpio, the journalist who falls prey sa isang makapangyarihang taong na-involve sa isang national scandal; Tony Roma as Daniel, a writer who maintains his objectivity sa panahon ng sensationalism; James Mendoza bilang Gerald, a cub reporter who discovers that there's more to journalism than just 5Ws and 1H at si Richard Manabat bilang Rick, kaibigan ni Aurelio na kinalaban ang Marcos dictatorship na nagmamay-ari ng café.
Ang Chronicle of Wasted Lives ay tumatalakay sa pagpapatay sa mga journalists, ang pag-aresto sa mga tao nang walang warrant, ang extrajudicial killings ng militant leaders, at ang walang katapusang corruption ng public officials sa kasalukuyang pamahalaan.
The film delves into the world of journalists, editors, cultural workers and other defenders of the truth in a predominantly indifferent society.
Saad ng writer-director na si Villacorta, "Ang pelikula ay tungkol sa corruption of the human soul. It's about journalists who struggle to tell the truth in a country where the powerful are consumed by greed. It's the story of one's quest to find beauty in a fractured society and a damaged culture."
Matapang nga ang pelikula dahil mapapanood rin dito ang controversies surrounding the Constituent Assembly, the Right of Reply Bill, arrest and trial of Aung San Suu Kyi, global menace of North Korea's nuclear tests, Mindanao armed conflict at ang 2010 National Elections.
SYNOPSIS. Ang Chronicle of Wasted Lives ay tungkol sa pakikipaglaban ng tatlong tao para sa demokrasya sa isang bansang hitik sa corruption at injustice.
Aurelio Burgos (Robert Correa) is searching for his missing son Jason. But his search is more than just a physical search. It is also a moral crusade and a spiritual journey. His anger at the powers-that-be is the anger of a nation terrorized by the corrupt and the powerful.
Catalino Gomez (Migui Moreno) is a starving artist searching for beauty amidst the horrible realities of life in an unjust society. He is fighting the monstrous enemy of the truth through his music and poetry.
Arlene Zamora (Gina Villa) is struggling for social justice. Armed with the truth, she disproves the notion that "you can't fight City Hall. "She is fighting for a better future for her children at a very high cost," dagdag-impormasyon ni Villacorta.
Si Francis Villacorta ay graduate ng History-Political Science mula sa De La Salle University. Naging reporter rin siya for TV Patrol sa mga unang taon ng ABS-CBN, publicist for Warner Brothers, producer-writer-director ng 1994 Miss Universe Flores de Mayo Dinner Dance at ng 1995 Manila Film Festival.
Siya rin ang theater producer-writer-director ng plays tulad ng Hamlet, Dominic, St. Scholastica, The Virgin of the Poor and The Jose P. Laurel Story, among others.
Ang kanyang grupo ay kasalukuyang abala sa musical na Confessions of a Soul (The Life of St. Augustine) in celebration of the 40th Anniversary of Colegio San Agustin-Makati.
Also lined up are the stage versions of Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita, Federico Fellini's La Strada, Ingmar Bergman's Scenes from a Marriage and his original works Don Bosco: The Musical and Requiem for the Red Rose, based on the life and death of Spartacist revolutionary Rosa Luxemburg.